Despite appeals from various sections of the community for our leaders to put the people’s interest first, there continues to be political discord on practically every issue, making it almost impossible to inject reason and logic to achieve a concession that would be beneficial to all Bermudians regardless of political or social status.

Trust is something that has to be earned along life’s road, and this is seldom present in political circles worldwide. Building trust means one cannot, or should not, say one thing, and later act in a manner that falls short of being honest and transparent no matter how sensitive the issue.

While every Bermudian is hoping for progress that would move the Island away from an economic plight that has affected just about everyone in some form, there is undeniable concern that deeply rooted friction between political camps over who knows best about what, is preventing a more co-operative approach in attempting to serve the people on matters that require more collectivity.

It is a tough job for all politicians who are frequently caught between towing the party line on a particular issue, or simply stating what they believe whether the party is in favour or not.

It takes guts and true commitment to stand up for values that have stood the test of time when it comes to integrity and respect.

We can learn from the American president Abraham Lincoln, who was faced with trying to free slaves and also bring a nation together which was embroiled in bitter conflict over the issue of having every American treated as equal, in what he felt would be true democracy.

He was forced to navigate through a jungle of political hatred, even from members of his party in his quest for justice. At one stage he was so crushed by the opposition, he felt the only friend he had left was himself.

Lincoln was the first president to have an audience with a black official at the White House, and the distinguished Frederick Douglass although not fully in agreement with all of his policies, came away with high regard for Lincoln. After a second meeting, Douglass referred to Lincoln as the people’s president.

Lincoln in the midst of a nation torn between itself, managed to build trust with those who were willing to stand by him no matter what it took to bring about change. Making matters worse was the fact that his own family fell victim to the civil war.

His wife Mary, who had a sister on the conferedate side, lost her husband to Union gunfire. No further words needed on that situation.

That was 150 years ago, and Lincoln’s legacy remains that he never shifted in his view from doing the right thing to at least give people who were deprived by the dark shadow of slavery, a new beginning in order to take their place as free Americans with a right to enjoy a better life.

The important lesson out of all of this, is that from that first major step toward justice, America later was able to elect their first black president in Barack Obama, and there is now the possibility that the nation could have their first female president. But that’s another story.

The key factor is always trust. It often takes years to build trust but only a moment of poor judgement can leave it shattered.

Regaining lost trust can be more challenging because most people are sceptical especially in the field of politics where mistakes are seldom forgotten.

What seems to be a dominant factor in our political arena is a lack of trust between those who should be working closely together in steering Bermuda towards calmer economic waters.

Reaching that goal is hindered by constant verbal wars between the One Bermuda Alliance government and the opposition Progressive Labour Party.

However, there is no need for unwarranted confrontation which too often takes on tones of political objectives that are not always clear to the electorate.

After a while the people become so confused they don’t know who to trust. Both sides have unwavering support and that is perhaps why trying to merge talents for the good of Bermuda remains elusive.

The government must govern, and the opposition must play its role in overseeing the peoples’ business.

However, in their important leadership roles at no time should political point-scoring overshadow the needs of the people which is a perception by many today.

Political posturing might help maintain support to some degree but there are too many serious problems that need honest truthful attention and voters want nothing less. Our leaders must work to build trust not just for this generation, but for others to come.